Stating that they hope to get a more upscale business along the city’s main corridor, three Hemet City Council members upheld a Planning Commission denial of a permit that would have allowed a pawn shop to open on Florida Avenue.

Mayor Robert Youssef and council members Bonnie Wright and Linda Krupa voted against the proposed business on Tuesday, June 11, with Shellie Milne voting in favor of the shop. Larry Smith was absent.

Hemet Jewelry & Loan was hoping to open in a vacant building at Florida Avenue and Yale Street. The city’s Planning Commission voted against a conditional-use permit in April, and the business owners appealed that decision to the council.

The council asked for more information during a hearing last month, but ultimately voted against the project on Tuesday.

“Location and sales tax revenue,” Youssef said after the meeting when asked why he rejected the project. “It doesn’t justify going on our main retail corridor.”

Since the shop owner said most of his revenue will come from non-taxable short-term collateral loans, the city wouldn’t expect a lot of sales tax revenue from the store, Youssef said.

The council members, who praised the owners of the proposed shop, said they hoped for a higher-end business at the location.

During the public hearing, Youssef mentioned that the city had rejected a proposal from Riverside County in 2011 to buy the old Albertsons building at Florida and Palm avenues and convert it to a mental health facility because it would not have brought in sales tax revenue.

“We have a history of saying, ‘Is this the best location for this business?’” Youssef said.

Council members suggested the pawn shop owners find a different location in the city.

“He has a right to operate in our city and we should honor that right,” Youssef said.

Eight members of the public spoke in favor of the project and four, including a neighboring business owner and the property manager for some of the businesses in the center, spoke against it.

While Youssef’s focus was on economics, the speakers seemed more concerned about safety and the perception of what kind of clientele the business would draw.

One mother said the city already has enough pawn shops, smoke shops and dollar stores and needs more upscale businesses.

Scott Campbell, who lives near the proposed shop, said the center would be safer with a business in the building instead of it sitting vacant.

But the council wasn’t swayed.

“We have a general plan for a reason and the fact it’s an empty building does not mean we have to settle for anything,” Wright said. “I don’t think it’s best for the city.”

John Mueller, who represents the pawn shop, said the fight isn’t over.

With the denial, the shop’s recourse could be a lawsuit against the city.

Follow Craig Shultz on Twitter @PE_CraigShultz and online at blog.pe.com/hemet

Craig Shultz reports on communities in Riverside County, primarily Hemet, Menifee, Perris and San Jacinto. A journalist for more than three decades, he has reported on everything from sports to city halls and schools. He was previously the editor of The Hemet News and The Valley Chronicle. Shultz was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles and graduated from Cal State Northridge.